Lee Hsien Loong ‘apologizes’ but added all govts make ‘mistakes’

PAP candidate for Ang Mo Kio GRC Lee Hsien Loong made a half-hearted apology to Singaporeans over the many screw-ups of the PAP regime since 2006 in a desperate bid to placate fast rising public anger and to soothe frayed nerves ahead of the coming polls on 7 May.

Mr Lee said he was ‘sorry’ if the government had not performed well, particularly over the escape of Mas Selamat and flooding in Orchard Road.

“If we didn’t get it right, I’m sorry, we will try better next time,” he was quoted as saying in Channel News Asia.

However Mr Lee was quick to add that “no government is perfect and mistakes will happen but what is important is to not repeat the same mistakes, apologise for them and improve.”

It is strange that Mr Lee has taken five long years to apologize for the manifold mistakes the PAP regime has committed instead of admitting and apologizing for them then.

Mr Lee did not apologize for the escape of Mas Selamat then and neither did he take any action against the Minister in charge. When Singapore was hit by a spate of flooding last year, his father Lee Kuan Yew chided Singaporeans for “wanting everything to be perfect” and proclaimed that “no amount of engineering can prevent flooding.”

As usual, Mr Lee also quoted Singapore’s 14 percent growth last year as a ‘saving grace’ to defend his dismal track record.

“If the government could have predicted such a strong rebound, it would have built more HDB flats and expanded the MRT lines,” he added.

Singapore’s seemingly ‘impressive’ growth last year was fueled largely by the relentless influx of cheap foreign workers and PAP ministers have received a few months of bonuses as a result. Furthermore, the gains from the growth are not distributed equally to all Singaporeans whose median income and domestic purchasing power have remained stagnant.

The PAP has always boasted that its leaders are the BEST TALENTS it can find in the entire Singapore and therefore deserving of the HIGHEST PAY in the world pegged to the private sector, but they do not like to be subjected to the rigorous public scrutiny faced by CEOs in the corporate world.

While it is true that all governments make mistakes, they are not paid as highly as the PAP ministers elsewhere. Singaporeans should not be hoodwinked again by this last minuet ‘sweet’ talk by Mr Lee who will be getting another round of pay hike after the election.